BD, the market leader and specialist in door-to-door promotional communication, is proud to announce its takeover of Agilys, the Belgian start-up behind myShopi. MyShopi is the highly successful international platform for mobile coupon distribution and digital shopping lists. To date, this popular app for smartphone and tablet has been downloaded more than 3 million times, worldwide.
The takeover is part of an ambitious growth strategy for BD and myShopi towards creating a multichannel promotional platform with new commercial opportunities. BD boasts a weekly circulation of 4.39 million Belgian households for a range of fivers, samples and direct mailers. 78% of Belgians use this door-to-door communication material as a guide for their purchases. Launched in 2011, myShopi has since become the largest online promotional platform in the country. A total of 380.000 Belgians have come into contact with the digital shopping lists and discount coupons via PC, tablet and/or smartphone. MyShopi also provides access to retailer promotions, loyalty cards and recipes.
A growth strategy with multiple benefits for both consumers and advertisers
Geert Schoenmaekers, CEO of BD Group emphasises the unique joint potential of BD and myShopi: “Our goal is for BD to grow into the most powerful multi-channel activation platform on the market. Thanks to our range of off- and online promotions, consumers wil have permanent access to the best deals wherever; whenever and however they desire. On the other hand, advertisers, our clients now have the opportunity to target both traditional consumers and digital shoppers to maximise their penetration in the market. And as the boundaries between off- and online shopping continue to blur the opportunities will only continue to grow”.
Philippe Van Ophem, co-founder of myShopi also underlines the advantages of the takeover: “myShopi has grown enormously since its launch. In a digital world that continues to evolve at lightning pace, BD will enable us to become the largest and smartest shopping platform within a very short timeframe. The combination of myShopi’s online shopping capabilities, the unique market reach of BD’s services and DBM’s (DataBaseManagement, a subsidiary of BD Group) expertise in data analysis will create many new possibilities.”
Geert Schoenmaekers and the founders of myShopi share the same vision: “With the combination of innovative print and digital services and our data knowhow we will soon be able to offer consumers even more value and our clients – retailers, independents and producers – the ultimate multi-channel promotional platform with the greatest potential.”
On the basis of this shared vision, the two founders of myShopi will continue their close involvement in the further development of this unique collaboration and will become shareholders of BD Group.
The beginning of a new chapter: spring 2014
The launch of this new, integrated enterprise is scheduled for the first half of 2014. As a result of the planned development of added-value concepts in both door-to-door distribution and digital products, BD is rapidly realising its ambition to become the number 1 off- and online promotional platform in Belgium and Italy.
